The South western news., 1887-05-11

A happy sequeal to the sensa
-tional Kelley story was furnished
yesterday by Governor Gordon
granting q pardon te the two
brothers.
As stated in Yesterdays Constitu
ton, Nessrs. Grieg and Stephens,
the representatives of the Kellys,
had an engagement with the gov
srnor yesterday morning, when
they presented the case in all its
phases. Col. Griggs did the talk
ing. and did it go well that before
night the long looked for pardon
bad received the signature of Geor.
gia's cheief executive officer.
THE PARDON
Is directed to the principal keeper
Of the penitentiary and reads as
follows:
Whereas, at sessions of the supc-
rior court of Terrell county held in
March and in May, 1871. Chas. A
Kelly and John R Kelly we're ar,
raigned ard tried for the murder
Of David W Oxford and convicted,
each of them, of voluntary man.
slaughter, and sentenced, each of
them, twenty years in the peniten>
tiary; and
Whereas, after their conviction
the said Charles A and John r
Kelly escaped from the limits of
the state Of Georgia and have
since resided in Florida until with.
in few days, when they have vol
uhta1ly returned to Georgia and
surrendered themselves to the Off
GERS Of the law and are now in
your custody and
Whereas, petitions were fled in
this Office several months ago, from
q very large number of the most
respectable citizens of Terrell coun.
ty, embracing the members of the
bar, members of the grand jury.
and survivors of the traverse juriea
BY which the said parties were
tried, and officials and ex-officials
of every kind, asking that .execu-
tive clemency should be extended
to the said Charles A and John R
Kelly, and
Whereas, the Hon. David B
Harrell, who presided, and the SO.
icitor general, who represented the
state in the trials, unite with these
petitioners and ask that the said
Charles A and John r Kelly may
be pardoned; and
Whereas, These parties were,
after a vigorous prosecution, &C,
Quilted of the murder of c T Ames
upon the ground, that whatever
they did was done in self defense,
and subsequently, were tried fol
murder aud convicted of voluntary
granddaughter for the homicide OIL
David w Oxford, one of thei,
friends and neighbors who was &C.
cidently killed in the melee in
which Ames was killed, but in
which he, the said Oxford, was not
engaged; and l have respectable
legal authority for the opinion that
The verdict of voluntary manslaugh.
ter cannot be sustained by the law
and the facts Of the case; and
Whereas, these parties, in the
community in which they have
lived for the last sixteen years,
have established and maintained
excellent characters, reared fami-
lies, and have been, and are now,
holding Offices of honor and trust,
and have voluntarily come within
he jurisdiction of the state to sub
init themselves to its authority and
to ask that executive clemency
may De extended them, 70 that the
stigma of their conviction may be
wiped out, and they be permitted
70 visit their fathers home again
free men.
1t is ordered, that the said Chas.
A and John r Kelly be, and they
are hereby pardoned of the offense,
Of which they were CONVICTED, and
that they be forthwith get at lib
erty.
Given under my hand and thu
seal OF the executive department
at the capitol, in the city of Allan
t. this, the third day of May
1887. j. B. GORDON,
Governor
BY the Governor
j. T. INSECT, Sec. Elk. Opt.
The case has been manage.